McAilin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland
• Scotland

Early Origins of the McAilin family

Early History of the McAilin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McAilin research. Another 217 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1307, 1315, 1442, 1485, 1542, 1559 and 1750 are included under the topic Early McAilin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McAilin Spelling Variations

Church officials and medieval scribes often spelled early surnames as they sounded. This practice often resulted in many spelling variations of even a single name. Early versions of the name McAilin included: McQuillan, McQuillen, McQuillian, McQuillin, McQuillon, McCailin, McAilin, MacQuillian, MacQuillon, MacCaillion, MacQuillin, MacQuillan, McKillan, McQuilland, McAiland, McAylin, McCaillion, McKillion, McKillin, McKillon, MacKillan, MacQuilland, MacAyland, MacAilan, Quillan and many more.

Early Notables of the McAilin family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was Malcolm MacQuillan (died 1307) Irish nobleman who was granted safe conduct by the English so he could assail Scottish forces, on Scotland's western seaboard, with his galley fleet in July 1300. However, the invasion force was quickly overwhelmed by local forces. Malcolm was captured and summarily executed with the Irish sub king. The heads of McQuillan and two Irish chiefs were sent to King Edward I. In 1485, Rory MacQuillan founded a late Franciscan foundation named Bonamargy Friary situated in County Antrim...
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McAilin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McAilin family

In the mid-19th century, Ireland experienced one of the worst periods in its entire history. During this decade in order to ease the pressure of the soil, which was actually depleted by the effects of the previous years' grain crops, landowners forced tenant farmers and peasants onto tiny plots of land that barely provided the basic sustenance a family required. Conditions were worsened, though, by the population of the country, which was growing fast to roughly eight million. So when the Great Potato Famine of the mid-1840s hit, starvation and diseases decimated the population. Thousands of Irish families left the country for British North America and the United States. The new immigrants were often accommodated either in the opening western frontiers or as cheap unskilled labor in the established centers. In early passenger and immigration lists there are many immigrants bearing the name McAilin: Andrew, Charles, James, John, Patrick, William McQuillan arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860; Edward, George, Patrick, Phillip, Roger and Thomas McQuillen all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860.